Imagine There's No Heaven Romans 1:18-25
Delivered on Sunday, September 26, 2010 to Smith Chapel UMC
Part One
Part Two
What I Didn't Say
Imagine--I don't know if you've ever taken the time to notice, but I often entitle my sermons in weird ways. Sometimes I don't even mention or explain where the titles came from. It's a mystery of the faith. This particular sermon has one such title. You may recognize it. In case you don't, I'll tell you. I named it after John Lennon's song, "Imagine."
When I was a kid and had thick, brown hair I loved the Beatles and their music. They were like gods to me. John Lennon was my favorite. I wanted to be just like him...hair, guitar, song writing...the whole package. Obviously, since he was a god and I a mere mortal, that pinnacle was slightly out of my reach. But I could dream couldn't I?
When I was twenty years old, I heard the call of God (the real one). I dedicated my life, as best I knew how, to serving Him and Him alone. As the years went by and I gave serious consideration to the various facets of my life, I began to realize that some of my heroes and "gods" were less than worthy. John Lennon was one of them.
To tell you the truth, I was crushed. Lennon was still a great song writer. He was still a talented rock and roller. The impact he had had on my life was unmistakable and undeniable. Yet, his philosophy of life...well, as many people would say today...sucked.
A lot of people, including many Christians, love the song "Imagine." They think it's a beautiful song. Well, musically, I can't and don't deny that. Philosophically, it's awful. Why would one want to imagine there's no Heaven...no God...no faith? Lennon's second line is, "It's easy if you try."
I can't. I've tried. I can't imagine there's no Heaven. It simply makes no sense to me. I might be naive, but it just simply does not compute for me. Lennon says he wants us to live for today. I guess that's the only way his belief system would work. When today is gone, where are we?
We certainly wouldn't be the kind of people he wanted us to be. If we're just biological machines, why concern ourselves with all the things Lennon wanted us to do and be...world peace, unity, sharing everything. Lennon was a millionaire. As far as I know, he never shared anything. When he was asked about it, he answered that he would if he could find a worthwhile cause. Apparently there isn't one.
The history of the world shows us we aren't simply altruistic for no reason. If there's no Heaven, I'm in it for ME. But there IS a Heaven, I want to go there, and Jesus is the only way I know to realize that goal. Because He wants me to work for peace, unity, and to share what I have, I will.
My hero, John Lennon, said, "You may say that I'm a dreamer." Yes, John, you were. Dreams are great, as long as they're based on reality. Heaven is real, and I can't imagine a life without that reality.
